This will be the sixth Cuban party congress since the first in 1975, and it could be the most important. The 1,000 delegates gathering in Havana plan to ratify almost 300 reforms Raúl proposed last year – the boldest of which, including broadened private enterprise, have Cuba-watchers asking if he’s moving the island to a China-style system of communist capitalism, or perhaps even a more liberal, less centralized political structure. In his December speech to the National Assembly, Raúl insisted, “I wasn’t elected President to restore capitalism in Cuba” but to “perfect” Cuba’s socialism.

Sequoya Branch Public Library

Tokay at Midvale Boulevards — Madison, WI

Please note: January’s meeting to be held in Study Rooms A & B at Sequoya Library.

A G E N D A

I.  Happy New Year!  Welcome and introductions.

II.  Progress report on Wisconsin Medical Project’s travel license application and related programs.

III.  Crane Project report.

IV.  Treasurer’s report.

V.  What’s ahead for 2011: Economic changes in Cuba and prospects for US-Cuba policy.

VI.  Other business.

VII.  Adjournment.

From Mr. Mireles’s letter to Ricardo:

“This affair features a culturally-inclusive collection of performers, guests and dignitaries joining Governor Scott Walker to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King, and honor individuals continuing the work of civil rights and social justice. In addition Governor Walker will present the official MLK 2011 State Proclamation to the people of Wisconsin. This year’s theme is, ‘Heal the World’.”

The Tribute and Ceremony will be broadcast live on Wisconsin Public Television and Wisconsin Public Radio:

http://wpt2.org/index.cfm

http://www.wpr.org/

Ricardo and Paul will be seated on the dais with other dignitaries and public officials. Open seating will be available to family, friends and associates, and the event is open to the public.

Bio Sketch

Ricardo Gonzalez came to the U.S. from Cuba in 1960.  After graduating from East Central Oklahoma State University in 1968, he became Personnel Manager for Green Giant Company in Ripon.

His concern for migrant workers led him to run for the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1972, becoming the first Latino to run for such an office.

After a year as Affirmative Action officer for Wisconsin’s Department of Administration, he opened the Cardinal Bar in 1974.  Under Ricardo’s leadership, the Cardinal has earned a reputation as Madison’s favorite place to dance and a valuable community institution.  Throughout the years, Ricardo Gonzalez has taken a keen personal interest in the affairs of our community.

Gonzalez was elected to the Madison City Council from 1989 to 1995, where he led the City’s efforts to revitalize Downtown and played a key role in the development of Monona Terrace Convention and Community Center.

In 1994, he founded the Madison-Camagüey Sister City Association to foster understanding and the improvement of relations between his homeland and the U.S.

As a volunteer programmer at WORT-FM radio in Madison since 1975, Ricardo has been a driving force for Latin music and culture in our community.

Featuring:  Mambo Blue, Golpe Tierra, Tony Castaneda, Grupo Candela and Special Dance Rview by Dando Mambo.

All proceeds go to Doctors without Borders for Latin America Disaster Relief!

Sponsored by Centro Hispano, WORT, Cardinal, Madison-Camagüey Sister City Associaion.

The Cardinal Bar

A G E N D A

I.  Welcome and introductions.

II.  A.  All set — Wisconsin Medical Project’s next delegation to Camaguey, Nov. 6-13.
B.  Ricardo will travel with the group and take donations to
Camaguey’s Video Art Festival.  NOTE:  Laptop needed to donate to this project; if you have one you wish to donate or sell, please reply to this message.

III.  Crane Project report.

IV.  Update on the Wine Tasting & Silent Auction, Wednesday, Nov. 17
at Cardinal Bar from 5 until 8 pm.  If you can volunteer time or
have any items to donate to the auction, please contact us.

V.  Annual Meeting scheduled for Wed., Dec. 1.

VI.  Review of current conditions for opening travel to Cuba; mark-up vote in
House Foreign Relations Committe was postponed last week, will there be a floor vote in this session?  Join us for a discussion.

VII.  Treasurer’s report.

VIII.  Other business.

IX.  Adjournment.

Works by Cuban artist Martha Jimenez, from the province of Camaguey, will be exhibited at the Emerson College in Boston, US, at the invitation of the institution.

This is the first exhibition of Jimenez’s work in the US, where she recently concluded a tour of six states.

The Cuban artist was also invited to give lectures at the university devoted to the study of communication and performing arts.

The exhibition consists of nine paintings and the same number of ceramics and it will be unveiled in October. The pieces selected for the display show a few changes in the artist’s creation like a greater use of allegories to mark the intentionality of her messages, more colorful patinas on the ceramics and sober shades in the pictorial work.

However, the artists maintains one of the hallmarks of her career, that is scenes alluding to costumbrismo, with mostly pompous and sensual female characters and elements that make reference to the daily life in the island.

Jimenez told ACN she is currently devoting more time to painting than to pottery, contrary to what she has done throughout her career so far.

Member of the Cuban contemporary vanguard, Jimenez has been awarded several prizes including the Distinction for the National Culture in 1997 by UNESCO. She was more recently acknowledged by the Contemporary Art Biennial of China, this year.

Skloot’s play, written in 2006 and translated last year by Bertha Pancorvo, was passed along to a small theatre company, Grupo Teatral Teatro, by Orestes Larios, one of the two artists who visited Madison last year. The company’s director, Onel Ramirez, agreed to produce the one-act play, and gave it its first full staging; in previous appearances in the U.S. and Europe, the play had only been given staged readings. Prior to the premiere, Skloot delivered a lecture about the subject of the play at the Galeria Larios.

Lemkin was the great international lawyer who coined the word genocide and who wrote the treaty against genocide that was ratified by the United Nations in 1951. Today, Lemkin’s name and importance are not well recognized, and the audience’s enthusiastic reception of the play in Camaguey also displayed a great curiosity to know more about Lemkin. A number of Cuban journalists attended the lecture and performance, and later wrote stories about Lemkin, and cited the Madison-Camaguey linkage and the importance of the mutual artistic exchanges that have lately characterized our cities’ relationship.

While in Camagüey, Skloot toured other performing spaces, and worked with the acting company in its final preparations for the premiere. “I was very satisfied with the performance,” Skloot said. “Seeing the play come alive in Spanish was wonderful, and the actors and director worked successfully to bring the play to life. It was both impressive and moving.” Skloot, a retired professor of theatre at the University of Wisconsin, was invited back by Ramirez and troupe to work again with the company.

(For more information about the play or future productions, write to the playwright at: rskloot [at] wisc.edu  .)